Jonathan Cook: on Nazareth, Israeli citizenship laws, and the Arabic language

Nazareth-based journalist Jonathan Cook interviewed by Jon Dillingham

15 April 2011

Part I: Nazareth Complicates Israeli Narrative

British journalist Jonathan Cook explains how Nazareth’s religious mix doesn’t fit in with the common perception that all things Israel can be understood as Jewish vs. Muslim.

Cook, a former reporter for The Guardian and The Observer, now writes for Abu Dhabi’s The National as the only foreign correspondent based in Nazareth, where he’s lived for almost a decade.

Cook’s position in the Arab heartland of Israel puts a different perspective on his reporting: namely that the post-1967 conflict over the occupied territories is best understood as a reflection and continuation of the larger conflict begun in 1948.

Nazareth Complicates Israeli Narrative from Jon Dillingham on Vimeo.

Part II: The Underlying Philosophy of Upper Nazareth

Nazerat Illit, or Upper Nazareth, is a Jewish enclave built above the Palestinian Arab city of Nazareth in the Galilee, northern Israel. The “illit” city (the Hebrew word illit means both higher physically, but also “elite”, or better, in a moral and philosophical sense) was built on confiscated Palestinian land and, according to British journalist Jonathan Cook, serves two purposes: to stop the expansion of the “Arab capital” of Israel and to act as a mitzpe (“lookout”) to literally watch over Nazareth’s Palestinians (the municipal government building overlook the city).

Cook, a former reporter for The Guardian and The Observer, now writes for Abu Dhabi’s The National as the only foreign correspondent based in Nazareth, where he’s lived for almost a decade.

Cook’s position in the Arab capital heartland of Israel puts a different perspective on his reporting: namely that the post-1967 conflict over the occupied territories is best understood as a reflection and continuation of the larger conflict begun in 1948.

The Underlying Philosophy of Upper Nazareth from Jon Dillingham on Vimeo.

Part III: Israeli Inequality Sustained By Citizenship Laws

Israel uses the rule of law, namely two separate citizenship laws for Jews and non-Jews, to divide and oppress its minorities, says British journalist Jonathan Cook.

Cook, a former reporter for The Guardian and The Observer, now writes for Abu Dhabi’s The National as the only foreign correspondent based in Nazareth, where he’s lived for almost a decade.

Cook’s position in the Arab heartland of Israel puts a different perspective on his reporting: namely that the post-1967 conflict over the occupied territories is best understood as a reflection and continuation of the larger conflict begun in 1948.

**The “loyalty oath” to which Cook refers to in the video was taken out of a law passed in the Knesset on March 28, 2011, a week after the interview.

Israeli Inequality Sustained By Citizenship Laws from Jon Dillingham on Vimeo.

Part IV: Arabic – Israel’s Silent Official Language

Though Arabic is one of Israel’s two official languages, it’s virtually non-existent in official Israeli life, and even met by contempt within Jewish Israeli society, explains British journalist Jonathan Cook.

Cook, a former reporter for The Guardian and The Observer, now writes for Abu Dhabi’s The National as the only foreign correspondent based in Nazareth, where he’s lived for almost a decade.

Cook’s position in the Arab heartland of Israel puts a different perspective on his reporting: namely that the post-1967 conflict over the occupied territories is best understood as a reflection and continuation of the larger conflict begun in 1948.

Arabic: Israel's Silent Official Language from Jon Dillingham on Vimeo.

– http://vimeo.com/22009193